Life always seem to be at full speed. There are never dull moments for a mom of three kids two of which are still teenagers and the oldest two in college. Sometimes I wished for a support group called “mothers of three” after all we are an odd number. You try dividing one piece of gum three ways.
Three different moments in time……Now 20, 18 & 16. I love being a mom especially when they reach new mile stones. Graduation, college, baptism, new relationships, love, driving a car for the first time. I remember holding each one of them for the first time thinking how can I love more than one child? Of course I’m happy to say it was easy after all fingers and toes were accounted for and hearing that first cry. When I brought each one home it got a little harder and I remember thinking diapers, bottles, late night feedings, toys everywhere oh my! And then there was blood sweat and tears if we had to go anywhere!
Oh how those days where so hard so I thought. My momma used to say that these times will pass and it will be so sad…”you will miss these days don’t rush it” ha! Now I look at them shaving, driving, late night worries, did they make it ok? And trust me I have heard every ambulance, police car & fire truck in Madison Co. in my sleep! Will they make the right choices in friends? Will they make the right choices period? Will they stay in church? Will they seek their Savior in all things? Well my momma was right, aren’t they all?
We recently took a trip to the beach letting each sibling take a sweetheart with them. My mom calls them the Beau’s and chick’s referring to boyfriends and girlfriends. Side note: never try this if you are uncertain of their relationships in any way. It can really mess up a vacation! I am blessed to say this was not the case. We never had to worry about a thing. In fact, they all played like they were little again. It overjoyed my heart to watch them dive for sand dollars and hermit crabs and come up for air only to giggle at one another. They rode the wet banana, rented mopeds, surfed on paddle boards, dug for seashell, drove a boat to shell island only to have the dolphins chase us back and endured the biting flys with no complaints! I love watching their facing light up and giggling at the silliest things of life! My heart was so full! It was like they were 3, 5 & 7 again.
But there was this one moment that captured it all for me. It was the last day and we were all feeling that moment of ughhh we have to leave tomorrow. We all know that feeling. We had dinner plans with other family so we were on a time crunch even the cabana boys were pulling up the cushions out for under us!
I was relaxing on my hard wooden lounger deciding to move on to the sand on a float feeling the sun beat down on me loving every breath. I noticed a young couple teaching their first born son (who looked to be about 3) how to play pattle ball. The 3 year old would attempt to hit the ball hitting it about every 3rd try. Each time he hit it he would look up at his mother and with that gleem in his eye begging for approval. After a few moments of confidence he decided to push his mother out of the way telling her to move he had this. I wanted to run to her and say “you will be sad one day ..you will miss this don’t rush it! ” just look how big they are now.
But then God gave me a precious moment in time. I looked back at my blessings of life digging vigorously in the sand trying to dig the biggest hole they could just like little kids looking up at us from time to time asking “you think we could hit water?” The boys even found a Tonka truck to assist them with sand removal making every truck noise they could. The girls were crushing pretzels up throwing them in the air coaxing every seagull in the panhandle to fly around us. I soaked up every moment. I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to rush it anymore! In my eyes they were 3, 5 & 7 again.
If I could only go back in time I wouldn’t rush it. I would have all the patiences in the world. I would live as if every moment had its own calendar. It does make me sad, I do miss it and I sure wouldn’t rush it for anything in the world……..#stoptheclock